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25 February 2025

Can stadium design learn from public schools?

In Victoria, 2/3rds of public schools share their facilities with the public. Can stadiums learn from them?

Stadiums host the highs of public life – from sporting grand finales to music mega events. They represent cultural powerhouses with the potential to draw tourists and pop stars alike. But, on average they are only used to their full potential approximately 10-20% of the year. Considering the vast expense, how can we all get more out of these significant structures?

Like stadiums, our schools are open approximately 25% of the year.*

After the final bell rings, schools also have the potential to serve as wonderful community hubs, creating healthier suburbs thanks to their sports and gym facilities, chapels, halls and libraries. In Victoria, 2/3rds of public schools already share their facilities with the public. How do they do it? 

“Whether lending entry forecourts to host local community markets on weekends or opening libraries for English language classes for adult migrants in the evening, many of our government schools are great examples of extending the use of public assets by design.”

– Dr Kellee Frith, Education Environments Strategist + Associate Principal 

*Under the assumption that schools are open for 40-50 hrs a week, for 40 weeks a year. 

Around the world, stadium design is evolving to include shared facilities for the community like retail, health facilities, accommodation and more.

“Many school gyms and sports fields, rooms for health services, theatres and other resources are shared with their wider communities after hours and on weekends.”

– Infrastructure Victoria 

How can architecture facilitate civic legacy? 

Twenty-four hour activation can turn underused assets into thriving community hubs but our facilities need to be designed from the outset with sharing in mind.  

Kellee explains that the potential use of school facilities for community activities after hours is an important design consideration that influences how school campuses and buildings are planned and designed. Mapping how and when different user groups may interact with the school helps define public, privileged and private zones within the school campus and within individual buildings. Security strategies developed in conjunction with site and building planning ensure secure access for different groups to the facilities they need.

Our project for Kelvin Grove features a soccer field on top of a carpark and mixed use structure.

Extending the hours of access to school facilities has multiple benefits including increasing the use and value of state-owned facilities, promoting a sense of community and shared ownership and belonging, and discouraging vandalism and anti-social behaviour by encouraging community interaction after hours. 

These principles have been applied to several Architectus-designed projects undertaken with the Victorian School Building Authority including Mickleham Secondary College, Bemin Secondary College, Quarters Primary School and Burrawang Primary School.

The Community Grocer demonstrates how schools can share space with their local neighbourhoods.  Pictured above is Mernda College, designed by Formium Landscape Architects and Clarke Hopkins Clarke Architects. The college hosted the community markets in their forecourt, allowing for weekend activation and passive supervision of the campus.

What will be the civic legacy of our stadiums? 

Rethinking how we use existing infrastructure will help us meet the demand for open space as our cities continue to densify. 

More